Pokemon ABC
by echoinglegends
Summary: Adeline, Beck, and Cedric are about to embark on their Pokémon Journey. Cedric and Beck have been waiting and preparing their whole lives for this moment. Adeline wishes to tag along with the duo and put her Pokémon studies to use. However, things might not go according to plan. This is not your traditional Pokémon story. There will be a lot of twists and turns along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Cedric's eyes flew open. 'Today is the day.' He thought. As he lay there, a million doubts flew through his mind, although 'Which one?' was his main thought. Even though he already decided which one he was choosing, he still couldn't help wondering if it was the right choice. He sat up and picked the brochure off his nightstand. It read, "Start your adventure today!" I got this in the mail three weeks ago. They send them to all the twelve year olds in the region, but only just a few show up. Cedric's lucky to live so close. He stood up and went over to the window and saw the familiar sight of Cherrygrove City. He looked down and saw a girl about his age picking the petals off a flower and staring at his window. Cedric quickly backed away out of her view. Just then, the door burst open.

"CEDRIC!" Beck shouted, with a huge grin on his face. "Today's the day!" Cedric returned his grin. Beck had been Cedric's best friend since they were babies. Cedric quickly pulled on a hoodie and ran down stairs, with Beck at his heels.

"Bye, Mom!" Cedric called, "I'm going on an adventure!" They sprinted out the door and Cedric stopped short. The girl who was staring at his window earlier was standing in their path. Beck stood between Cedric and the girl, an impish grin on his face.

"Cedric, this is Adeline! She's starting her adventure today too!" Adeline smiled at him. She had auburn hair in a fancy ponytail that was tied with ribbons, which hung down from her hair. She had unnerving golden eyes that seemed to dig into Cedric's skull. Cedric shifted uncomfortably.

"Hi!" Adeline said cheerfully and Cedric smiled back uneasily.

"Hi." He said cautiously. Beck was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Come on! Let's go! It's, like, a 20 minute walk to New Bark Town!" Cedric grinned. "Or like a 10 minute run!" With that he took off, with Beck at his heels again.

"Cedric! Hold on!" It was his mom.

"Bye, Mom! I'll see you soon!" He called back.

"Wait!" She yelled at him, but he was already running down the block. Cedric and Beck ran through the city, passing the red roofed houses they knew so well. They passed their old schoolhouse. Cedric looked upon the school playground. The small children playing with each other gave him a pang of nostalgia. They passed the houses of their classmates. With Cedric and Beck being the youngest in their class, all the others received their license and started their journey; some claiming starter Pokémon from the Professor or going off before the ceremony to become Bug Catchers or Pokécollectors. They passed the house of the old man that taught them how to catch Pokémon. Of course they weren't allowed to own any until they got their license from the Professor, which they were doing today. The thought brought him out of the past with a twist of excitement. They slowed at the city limits to catch their breath. As they set foot on route 29, they heard,

"Hey! Wait up!" Cedric turned to see Adeline running up to them, panting. "You… guys… need to… slow down." She sat down on a log.

"So… why are you following us?" Cedric asked.

"I'm from New Bark Town, but Professor Elm wanted me to make sure that you two got there on time." She straightened with pride. "I'm starting my journey today too in case you weren't paying attention." Cedric sighed. He wanted to share this day with his best friend, but now this girl had to barge in and ruin their perfect day. 'I guess I might as well try to befriend her.' Beck looked ahead.

"We still have a long ways to go." He looked to Adeline. "So me and Cedric already pick our first Pokémon. What are you going to pick?" Adeline looked embarrassed.

"Well, that's the thing. I haven't decided yet." She blushed a bit. "I guess I'll just have whatever's left over." Beck smirked.

"Well I'm getting Totodile!" Cedric smiled to at the thought of his chosen first.

"I'm going to get Cyndaquil." He looked at Adeline. "I'm sure whichever you get, you'll be happy!" Adeline smiled back at his encouragement.

"So Adeline" Beck began, "Have you lived in New Bark Town your whole life?" Adeline's eyes grew a bit distant.

"No. I used to live in Kalos when I was little." Her smile widened. "It was so majestic there." Her eyes widened with excitement. "I lived in Laverre City and I was there during 10/12!" Both Cedric's and Beck's eyes grew wide.

"No way!" They both exclaimed. "Did you see the Ultimate Machine?! Did you see the legendaries? What about the Champion? Were you at the parade?!" Questions flowed out of the two boys. The incident that occurred six years ago intrigued them. Adeline looked like she was regretting telling them about her being in Kalos when Team Flare tried to destroy the world.

"Enough!" She yelled. The boys quieted down. "Geez people. I was there. I saw the Champion come by now and then. I saw the beam from the Ultimate Machine" She took a breath. "That's pretty much it." They kept walking.

"Did you see the Champion challenge the leader of the city's gym?" Adeline sighed in exasperation.

"Yes." Cedric looked at her closely. He was much more interested about this girl now. "Was it cool?" Adeline gave him a sarcastic look.

"I didn't actually see the battle."

"Oh." They walked on in silence.

"So why'd you move here?" It was Beck that broke the tension. Now both boys were itching to learn more about the girl from Kalos.

"My parents thought it was best for me. After 10/12, they said it wasn't safe for me over there." Her head sank into her shoulders a little. "They sent me away and they stayed behind because their jobs were vital to the reconstruction of Kalos." She gave a heavy sigh. "It's not too bad. I get to visit them every year for a couple months." A thought popped into Cedric's head and he blurted it out before he could think.

"Do you think next time you go visit your parents we could come with you?" Adeline seemed surprised at the question.

"I… I don't know. I guess so." She looked up with a determined gleam in her eyes. She ran ahead and started walking backwards, looking at the boys.

"Yeah! That would be so much fun! Since we'd be Pokémon trainers, we'd be able to catch all sorts of new Kalos Pokémon!" She stopped and fell into pace again. "But I'm not going to visit them until seven months from now…" Beck smiled.

"That's alright! We'll be traveling together for a while, right?" Adeline smiled even wider.

"Really?! You mean that?" Cedric's face contorted.

"Yeah, you really mean that?" Cedric and Beck had been planning their adventure their whole life. He didn't want some girl to mess that up.

"Sure! Why not? We've already bonded, right?" Beck and Adeline looked at Cedric innocently, waiting for him to approve. Cedric looked at Beck with a disapproving frown, then to Adeline. He sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. Come if you want." He looked Adeline straight in her unnerving eyes. "But don't think it's going to be easy with us! We're going to climb mountains and swim huge lakes. Encounter monstrous Pokémon and become the Champion!" Adeline jumped onto a stump pumping her fist and whooped.

"Yeah! Adventure! Victory! Honor!" A pair of Bug Catchers walked past.

"What a weirdo." They said to themselves. One of them called up to Adeline, "Hey, weirdo! Let's battle!" Adeline turned around in surprise.

"What? Me?" She said, pointing to herself.

"No, the other guy on the stump. Of course you!" The Bug Catchers high-fived. "Nice one, Colby." Adeline blushed red.

"Well, you see, I don't have a Pokémon. I mean I will, but not now. But we're going to get ours so…" Colby the Bug Catcher crossed his arms impatiently.

"Psht. Don't have a Pokémon. You could've just said so. C'mon, Sam, let's ditch this weirdo." They trotted away snickering and saying "What a loser." Adeline stared after them, flushing red.

"Well that was awkward." Cedric mumbled.

"THE NERVE OF THOSE GUYS!" Adeline stormed past Beck and Cedric. "When I get my Pokémon I'm going TO CRUSH THEM!" Cedric and Beck followed Adeline down the path, making sure to keep a safe distance from the tall grass and the raging girl. They walked in silence until Adeline calmed down. "We're about 3 minutes from New Bark Town." Adeline informed the boys. They jumped down from the ledge and walked along a fence. Cedric climbed on the fence border lining the tall grass and walked along it, keeping up with the group. "You have really good balance, Cedric!" Adeline exclaimed.

"Stop showing off." Beck said. He walked over to the fence and look up at Cedric. Only too late did Cedric see Beck's mischievous smirk. Cedric fell in the grass with a *thump*. He could hear Beck and Adeline laughing at their prank. Cedric started chuckling too until he sat up and saw the Sentret he had fallen on. It whimpered as Cedric gently touched it. Feeling bad about hurting it, he gingerly picked it up. There should be a healing center at the Professor's Lab.

"Hey guys!" Cedric called. "I accidently hurt this Sentret! Could you give me a hand?" He handed the hurt Pokémon to Adeline.

"Aw. Poor little Sentret." Beck gave Cedric a boost onto the fence. He started climbing up the fence when he heard a low growl. Turning his head, Cedric saw a Furret. Most likely the hurt Sentret's mother. Her fur was standing on its end.

"Ah… Sorry Ms. Furret, but I need to get your kid to the hospital." Cedric was trying to keep calm. The Furret sprang at him and lashed out with its claws. Cedric's pants shredded and his skin ripped, spraying blood on the ground. Cedric cried out.

"CEDRIC!" Came a cry on the other side of the fence. The Furret bit down on Cedric's arm. Cedric's hoodie muffled the bite, but he felt nauseated as he saw his blood seep from the Furret's mouth. He was flailing and screaming, trying to get the Pokémon off of him. Ages past until he heard a rustle in the grass. A gigantic bird flew up into the sky and dove at Cedric. The bird's grey form tore the Furret from Cedric's arm. He fell to the ground as he saw the bird battling the Furret. Through his blurry vision the bird throw the Furret out of sight. Around him, he saw a green aura that soothed his mind. The last thing he saw was a pair of golden, soul-piercing eyes.

* * *

Cedric awoke, looking up at the sky. Around him was chaos. A man in a lab coat was wrapping his arm in a bandage. An Officer was on her Pokégear talking sternly and quickly. There were townspeople scattered around his asking questions and making a big deal of noise.

"Cedric!" Adeline crouched into Cedric's line of sight. She had tear-streaked cheeks and puffy red eyes. "I thought for a moment that you were-." She sobbed. "Beck's moping in the Lab. Since he pulled that prank, he thinks it's he blames himself for this happening." The medics moved Cedric into a temporary recovery bed in Professor Elm's Lab upon his request. He was actually feeling a lot better than he should have. The medics said that there was a lot of bleeding, but most of his wounds were on the surface. "If there was any internal damage," he heard them say, "He would be gravely injured or worse." A man in a lab coat came up to him.

"Hello, Cedric. I am Professor Elm. I am sorry that this happened to you on a day like today too." He held out a case containing three Pokéballs. "Since you, your friend, Beck, and my protégé, Adeline are the only three starting your adventure today, both of them decided that you should pick yours first." Cedric's stomach turned with fear, which surprised him. The thought of going on a Pokémon journey right after being nearly killed filled him with terror.

"I don't have to start right now do I?" Professor Elm laughed aloud.

"My boy, even if you wanted to you couldn't. The doctors said that you'll have to delay your journey at least a month to let you recover. By you not wanting to go right away, it's very wise." The Professor's praise made Cedric feel at ease. He smiled and his stomach twisted with excitement this time as he reached for the Ball that contained Cyndaquil.

"Wait." Both Cedric and Professor Elm turned their heads to the door. Cedric's mom was standing in the doorway with her hand hovering above her open mouth. Gathering up her will, she closed the door behind her and walked up next to Elm. "I had been thinking for a while now and…" She looked at Cedric with regret and fear in her eyes. "and I've decided to forbid Cedric to get his Pokémon License until he turns 15." The air was sucked from Cedric's lungs. No Pokémon License until… UNTIL THREE YEARS FROM NOW?! Professor Elm nodded.

"I understand." He said as he shut the case with the Pokémon with a *click*. "I'll give you two some privacy." Professor closed the door as he exited the room. Cedric's mouth moved trying to find the right words. His mom knelt beside his bed and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Please listen to me. This is what I was trying to tell you this morning. Your father and I were talking…" Cedric didn't comprehend any words being said. Tears stung at his eyes as he looked at his mother in betrayal. He didn't care what the reasoning was. He didn't care if he was taken to the edge of his life just a few hours ago. His mom, the person who is supposed to love him with all her heart was taking his life away!

"No." The thought of not going was indescribable. "I'm going. I _have_ to. Beck's going and Adeline and we're going to be the best Pokémon trainers anyone has ever seen and we're - we're." He looked at his mom. "You can't do this. It's not fair. You're taking my life away!" Cedric's mom looked at him with concern.

"Cedric, you almost _died_ today. The doctors said you were very lucky to not have any serious injuries. I'm not sure if you or I am ready for this."

"But mom we have plans!" His mother gave Cedric a stern look.

"Cedric. No more buts. My word is final." "But-!" "Do know what me to keep you at home until you're 18?" Cedric's panic faded as the finality settled in and replaced it with frustration and indescribable wrath. "I hate you." The sorrow in Cedric's mom's eyes didn't compute in Cedric's rage-blinded mind.

"I know."

Adeline came in a few minutes after Cedric's mom left with hidden tears. She walked to the edge of the bed in silence. She stood by the bedside for ages.

"So," she started hoarsely. "Your mom said you won't be going on your journey." Cedric's face was stony. He shook his head.

"She didn't even let me pick…" Adeline leaned down and gave him a comforting hug.

"It's okay, Cedric. Sometimes it's worth it to be patient. Think of the time you will have as preparation; training if you will. Take this time to learn everything there is to know about Pokémon and battling and breeding and everything there is to know about Pokémon. You seem like a smart, hard-working guy and if you strive to be the greatest, if that's what you really want, then you will achieve your goal." Cedric breathed a steadying sigh. It would take a lot of hardship and patience, but Adeline was right: if he did it right, when he started his journey he would be prepared and have a great advantage. Cedric pulled back from the hug and looked into Adeline's now comforting eyes. He had seen the spark of a new friendship.

"Thanks, Adeline." He smiled, despite the situation. "So is Beck going to come and give some encouraging words too?" Adeline immediately looked uncomfortable. She looked away.

"Well… Uh. You see…" Her head sagged. "Beck… already left." Cedric looked at her in confusion.

"Left? What do you mean…?" He haven't even seen Beck since the incident in the tall grass.

"He got his Pokémon and left to begin his adventure." 'He…left me?' Cedric and Beck had been buddies since he could remember.

"No!" Cedric jumped out of his bed and ran out of door.

"CEDRIC!" Adeline ran after him. He burst into the Lab lobby, where Professor Elm, Cedric's mother, and several other people were sitting and chatting. All heads turned towards Cedric as he burst into the room. He looked around for a brief moment, then rush towards the case containing the starter Pokémon. Jerking it open, he sank to his knees when he saw what was inside: two Pokéballs.

"Totodile is missing." He said to no one in particular. His mother knelt beside him and Adeline put a hand on his shoulder. "He didn't even say goodbye."


	2. Chapter 2

The doctors said he could go home in the morning, so Cedric was just sitting on the floor of the lobby, thinking about what he would have said to Beck in goodbye. He didn't really expect Beck to stay behind because he had to, but he couldn't help but hope. He just couldn't believe a friend as good as Beck would leave so abruptly and without any hint of fellowship in his goodbye.

Something caught his eye. He stood and walked to the item by the garbage. It was a little red necklace, the red part being half of a Pokéball. He touched the trinket hanging on his neck. He pulled around his head and held it up next to the found necklace. The red half fit perfectly with his white half, making it read "Friends forever." He sat there for hours with the completed Pokéball in his hands. Many things happened that day: getting mauled by a Furret, having his Pokémon license revoked, but the most painful one was the end of a lifelong friendship. Cedric got to his feet, tossed the necklaces into the waste basket and returned to his room.

* * *

In a room adjacent to the lobby, a Sentret was sleeping in a comfy floor bed. The slam of a door woke it up. How long it had been sleeping it did not know. It had been carried to this silent place by a fire-headed she-human. Yawning, it scurried from its sleeping place. It stumbled and a cry of pain and surprise escaped from it. Looking down, it saw the source of its pain: a bandaged stump where its right foreleg had been. It took a few minutes to moan in mourning, then it stood and limped to a light that was streaming from a crack in the wall. It went to investigate and found that a portion of the wall had swung open to reveal an entrance into another peaceful, bland room. It made its way to the middle of the room, not knowing where to go. It attempted to explore and jump up on the giant pedestals, but could not. It saw a container in an accessible area and went to it. It bumped its head against the sleek cylinder until it tipped to the ground and scattered intriguing items onto the floor. It sifted through the trash with its tail until it uncovered something interesting. It was a ball of ruby and ivory with human symbols etched into it. The Sentret immediately became attached to it, so it picked it up feverishly by the silver and gold chains that circled around it and limped back to its sleeping quarters.

* * *

A few months past and Cedric was enrolled in school. He got over what he was calling "Beck's betrayal." He was still depressed about the loss of a friend and a missed chance of a lifetime, but he was content. Cedric opened the door to Adeline's house in New Bark Town. Adeline had stayed behind with Cedric. He didn't know if it was sympathy, friendship, or that she was taking her own words of advice and prepare for her journey. Cedric and Adeline made a deal that he would go to school and she would learn everything she could from Professor Elm as his understudy. The two would come meet up at his or Adeline's house every day to exchange notes. Cedric told Adeline about the battle techniques and type classifications he had learned that day and Adeline showed Cedric the evolution and breeding notes she took from Professor Elm's lecture. After they chatted about their day and Adeline showed some sketches she drew of the Pokémon at the edge of the town.

"I want to watch you draw. Come on!" He grabbed her art supplies and led her down to the edge of town. Adeline ran to a stump and sat cross-legged on it, pencil to paper, waiting. Cedric sat at the edge of the stump, looking over her shoulder. He tried to start a conversation, but Adeline shushed him.

"You'll scare them away." She whispered. After a few lagging minutes they heard a rustle. A Hoothoot bounced out of the grass sleepily. Adeline drew some lines, then erased them. She drew the shape of the Hoothoot's body then carefully and slowly marked where the eyes were. The Hoothoot pecked at the ground. There was the snap of a pencil tip snapping, Adeline cursed and the Hoothoot flew away. Adeline sighed. "I guess I'll have to draw the rest from memory…" She turned around at Cedric. "What are you laughing at?" Cedric was bent over. He couldn't stop laughing.

"I… don't… think… that scenario... could have been… played out more perfectly than that." She punched him, which made him start laughing all over again. He wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"I didn't know you were capable of cursing."

"Neither did I." They both shared a laughed.

* * *

The water tasted fresh and good. It wet its throat and satisfied its belly. The reflection of white and crimson light danced in the rippling water. A sound made it perk up. It was a loud, deep sound that filled its heart with warmth. It was a feeling it hadn't felt before. Curious about the source of the sound, it crept, a little at a time, towards the source. Keeping its ears perked it made its way through the lush green grass. Every blade that touched it made it be more soothed. Its nose twitched with new scents as it reached a tall stump. Two humans, like the ones that took its leg, were sitting. It sat down and listened to the rich sound that seemed to radiate from their hearts and souls. It wanted to make that sound.

* * *

Their laugh was interrupted by a shrill, chirping noise coming from behind. They both turned, startled, around at the source of the noise.

"A Sentret!" Adeline cried joyfully. She began feverishly scribbling in her book.

"Hey, whatcha got there?" Cedric asked it. He had noticed the ball hanging from its neck. "Hey… That's…" Adeline stopped drawing and touched Cedric's arm.

"Cedric, look, its missing a leg." Indeed it was. The stump looked healed, but out of place.

"That thing it's wearing used to be Beck's and mine. It was our friendship necklace we got when we were kids." Adeline reached out her hand cautiously. The Sentret sniffed at her hand curiously. It nuzzled her and walked up to the two. "There was a Sentret at the lab that day." Cedric said. He picked the Sentret up and cradled it in his arms. He gently touched the stump of its right leg and it whimpered. "Just like that day…" Cedric said. "but it didn't have its leg amputated, right? I just broke it." Adeline was in a daze.

"Professor Elm said it had a serious infection and that if we didn't bring it in when we did, it would have been incurable." She looked at Cedric. "This is that Sentret and you saved its life." Cedric thoughtfully touched the ball around the Sentret's neck and it growled a bit.

"So that's where it went to, huh?" He told it. "Maybe it's fate you found it. It looks like you're our new friend!" Adeline stood up.

"Let's bring it back to my house! We can feed it there and then let it go where it likes." Cedric stood with the Sentret still in its arms and they walked off towards home.

Adeline walked through the door to Cedric's house.

"Hello Mrs. Waldron." Cedric's mom looked up from the book she was reading.

"Hello, Adeline! How was your day, dear?" Adeline smiled politely.

"It was fine, thank you. The Professor let me analyze some of his injured Pokémon." Mrs. Waldron marveled at her.

"That's great, dear! I never thought Frank would let anyone other than himself examine his Pokémon." Adeline fiddled with her hands.

"Well it was only because every time he tried to get close to that Croconaw of his, it tried to take a finger off!" Her hand went to her arm, where under the sleeve was a bandage. She would have to work on her friend-making skills.

"Well, Cedric's up in his room reading his textbook again. It was nice seeing you, dear."

"Thanks, Mrs. Waldron!" Adeline said as she started to climb the stairs. She glanced behind her to see if it was still there. It was, but it had a hard time climbing the stairs. "C'mon, you." She picked up the Sentret with a grunt and carried it upstairs. Cedric's door creaked a little when she opened it. She walked over to the bed where Cedric was reading. She placed a finger on the book in his face and pushed it down. "Sup." She said. Cedric looked up from his book.

"Hey ya." He looked at the Sentret in Adeline's arms.

"Look you followed me here." She scratched its ears, making it smile. "After we fed it and you left, it came back and wouldn't leave!" Cedric scratched The Sentret's belly.

"Hey there, little guy." Cedric stood up from his bed. "You know, if it's going to be following us around, we should give it a name!" Adeline frowned.

"Cedric, you know we're not allowed to have any Pokémon." Cedric walked over to his whiteboard on the wall.

"But that only counts if we capture it in a Pokéball." He picked up a marker. "Technically it's not ours unless it's in a Pokéball." He wrote on the board 'Names.' And underlined with in red. "So…" He shoved his face into the Sentret's.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" He said mockingly. Adeline giggled.

"This Sentret is a female." The Sentret seemed somewhat aware of what was going on and looked overjoyed to be given a name, jingling its ball around.

"How about… Elpis?" Adeline and Sentret made a face.

"Elpis?" She asked. Cedric wrote the name on the board.

"Yeah. It's supposed to mean 'Hope' in… something." The Sentret shook its head.

"Then why don't you just name is Hope?" Adeline asked sarcastically. Cedric wrote 'Hope' on the board under 'Elpis.' Adeline held out the Sentret, examining it.

"I always liked the name Millie…" Cedric wrote 'Millie' on the board reluctantly. "Ok… anything else?" After a few minutes of suggesting and rejecting names, Cedric had an idea.

"How about…" He wrote on the board 'Mellon.' Adeline gave him a skeptical look.

"Melon?" Cedric smiled.

"No. It's Mellon. Like May-On. You know how some languages pronounce double L's like a Y?" Adeline gave an "uh-huh". "Well. Mellon means 'friend' in some lost language. And since she became our acquaintance through the beginning of our friendship, we should call her that!"

'And the end of Beck's and your friendship too.' Adeline thought, but she was already warming up to the name. "Okay. Let's call her Mellon!" She looked at Mellon, who seemed to consider the name and gave something like a shrug. "Nice to meet you, Mellon!"


	3. Chapter 3

Some time past since they got Mellon. She had been a good pet and companion to the two. Cedric's mom was a little iffy about letting Mellon stay, but she grew attached to her quickly. One day, Adeline was over for dinner and the family plus Adeline and Mellon were gathered around the T.V. watching some Pokémon League News.

"Here I am in Blackthorn City." The reporter was saying. "Where a young Pokémon trainer is challenging Gym Leader Clair for his last Pokémon League Gym Badge!" The scene moved to an arena in huge lava filled room.

"Hey look, Adeline. The floor's lava." Adeline punched Cedric.

"Shut up." There was a tall woman with blue hair standing on one end of the arena. She held herself with pride and confidence.

"Challenging Clair is Pokémon Trainer Beck Vancouver from New Bark Town!" Adeline gasped in surprise.

"I can't believe it!" She exclaimed.

"I know." Cedric mumbled. "They got his hometown wrong." Cedric's mom snickered at that. The camera showed a boy who looked like Beck, but wasn't. His black-green hair was greasy and messed up. His face was covered in dirt and it looked like he'd gone through Hell to get there.

"He's on his eighth gym badge. Quite impressive." His clothes looked newly bought. An aviator jacket covered his maroon shirt and teal jeans overlapped his hiking boots.

"You think he could take a bath if he could afford those clothes." Cedric observed. Seeing Beck brought some bitter feelings to his gut.

"Shh. It's starting!" The camera was on Clair. She reached for a Pokéball and threw it to the middle of the field. A light dispersed from the ball, forming into a huge serpent.

"Clair sent out Dragonair!" The camera was on Beck now, who pulled out his own Pokéball and threw it.

"Oh! It's a Skarmory!" The steel bird spread its steel wings and cawed. The referee indicated the battle to start. Cedric saw Clair barking out commands to her Dragonair. Waves of energy came off of the Pokémon and shot towards Skarmory. "It's Thunder Wave!" The reporter announced. "Now Beck's Skarmory will be paralyzed." The Skarmory struggled to fly into the air, but dove at the dragon, its wings shining. "Skarmory's using Steel Wing!" Dragonair went flying at the impact. The whole room gasped as it fell into the lava.

"Don't worry." Cedric said. "Fire doesn't hurt Dragons much." Dragonair leapt from the lava. Clair must have issued a command because the Dragonair was charging up an attack. "Beck's in trouble." Cedric observed, knowing what was coming.

"It's a Fire Blast from Dragonair!" The reporter exclaimed. Beck yelled for Skarmory to dodge, but it was paralyzed. The attack hit head on and Skarmory was out cold. "It's a KO from Dragonair. What will Beck sent out next?" A flash went off and a Jolteon appeared.

"Should have saved that Jolteon…" Cedric knew the Gym Leaders' patterns and Jolteon could've been used for later.

"Cedric, SHH!" Adeline shushed him.

"Jolteon has used Thunder!" The wicked lightning struck Dragonair, making it faint. "Clair has sent out her other Dragonair!" Beck Jolteon attempted to hit it with Thunder again, but missed. The Dragonair Slammed into Jolteon, but it retaliated with Shadow Ball. 'Smart to teach Jolteon Shadow Ball,' Cedric thought, 'but he's only attacking. He needs to use status moves as well.' A Dragon Pulse finished Jolteon off and Beck threw another Pokéball.

"Look, Cedric! It's his Starter!" It was Feraligatr. Cedric's eyes brightened.

"Cool." He said to himself. The Feraligatr Slashed at Dragonair, but missed. The Slam from Dragonair didn't do much damage.

"Feraligatr should know an Ice move." Cedric said. Slash again. Slam again. "Darn it, Beck! Use Ice Fang or something!" There he goes. Ice Fang. The air around the Feraligatr's jaws steamed with cold. It lunged and bit down on the Dragon Pokémon. Dragonair fainted and Cedric's hands went up in irritation. "Thank you." He noticed his mom and Adeline were looking at him. "What?" He asked. "Everyone knows that Ice is the main weakness to Dragon."

"No they don't, honey." "Oh." Another flash of light and a Gyarados was on the field.

"Oh my!" The reporter exclaimed in awe and fear. 'This is where Beck's Jolteon would've come in handy. Hopefully he'll have another Electric type or something.' The Gyarados used Dragon Rage which damaged Feraligatr pretty good. The Feraligatr Crunched on its enemy's body. The Gyarados shook it off and shot it down with a Dragon Pulse. Beck returned the fainted Pokémon to its Pokéball and sent out a Heracross, who used Take Down. It was caught up in a Twister from Gyarados.

"Why doesn't Clair use a flying attack?" Adeline asked. "It would hurt Heracross badly because its Bug _and_ Fighting type." Cedric thought.

"I think, unlike Pokémon Trainers, Gym leaders only use a moveset of four attacks. I think it's supposed to restrict their crazy power or something. Gyarados knows Twister, Dragon Rage, and Dragon Pulse, which leaves one more attack with I guess isn't a Flying type attack." Heracross fainted after a Dragon Pulse and Beck sent out a Pupitar. Gyarados used Bite against Pupitar.

"I guess it knows Bite too." Adeline said. 'It's foolish of Clair not to have any Flying type attacks or any Water type attacks, as Gyarados is a Flying/Water type…' Pupitar used a Dark Pulse against Gyarados.

"It's not a Dragon type, Beck." Cedric said to himself. "Hit it with a Rock attack." After the Dragon Rage from Gyarados, Pupitar was barely standing. It used Dark Pulse again. Cedric sighed in disappointment as Pupitar fainted.

"Only one Pokémon remains on Beck's team." A Donphan. Lovely. Cedric was relieved that Donphan used Rollout, but it didn't do much. The Gyarados used Twister. Rollout. Bite. Rollout. Gyarados was out. Cedric knew what was coming and he knew that Beck would lose. Out came Clair's final Pokémon.

"And here's Clair's mascot, Kingdra!" Donphan was at low health and Kingdra was faster. Even if Kingdra missed and Donphan's Rollout managed to hit it, it wouldn't faint the Kingdra and Beck would lose. 'He should just forfeit now and save his Pokémon the pain.' He wondered why Beck would put his Pokémon through this if there was no hope in winning. There it was: Kingdra's Hydro Pump! Donphan started its Rollout as the water shot towards it. It dodged the attack! It sped towards the Kingdra and slammed into it with huge force! It flew across the stadium and left an impact in the wall, then it fell into the lava.

"I - I can't believe it!" The reporter exclaimed in astonishment. "Donphan landed a critical hit and won the match!" Cedric's mouth hung open in awe and Clair was on her knees with Kingdra's Pokéball in her hands. Cedric could tell her defeat really struck a nerve in her pride.

"That was an invigorating battle!" The reporter went on. "With a huge comeback from Beck's Donphan, it fought till the last effort and won Beck's eighth and last gym badge!" Cedric saw Beck celebrating and was dancing around with his Donphan. That night, Cedric learned a lesson that would he would carry with him for the rest of his life: There is always hope in the most hopeless of situations.


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay. Let's do this!" Cedric shouted at the edge of the tall grass.

"Cedric, do you really think it's a good idea? What if we get caught? We might never get our license!" Cedric smiled encouragingly to Adeline.

"Don't worry! Technically, Mellon's not our own Pokémon."

"Yes, but you're going to battle with it when we're not allowed to."

"But I battle in school."

Adeline sighed. "But that's _school_. This is the wild." They were interrupted by a rustling in the grass. A Pidgey hopped out into the open, plucking at the ground. Without hesitation, Cedric issued a command.

"Mellon, use Scratch!" Mellon darted forward and Scratched the Pidgey with its left paw. The bird cawed in pain and lunged at the Sentret with its beak.

* * *

Mellon dodged the attack, spinning around the bird. She had gotten used to moving quickly with only three legs, but it knew it would be limited with its physical attacks. Her he-human friend, Cedric, advised to use Defense Curl, a move she had learned a little while ago. Heeding his advice, she wrapped herself in a ball to protect herself from the oncoming attack. There was a pain in her back as the Pidgey Pecked her. It was sharp, but it faded quickly. Mellon wanted to spring on the Pidgey, but waited for Cedric's command. It came and Mellon lunged out of its defensive position and slashed the Pidgey with its claws. The Pidgey stumbled around, then fainted.

* * *

Cedric and Mellon celebrated while Adeline looked on and shook her head disapprovingly. She knelt by the fallen Pidgey and stroke it to calm it. When the Pidgey looked at her, she fed it an Oran Berry to get its strength up. She set it carefully down and it wobbled away. She stood up and joined Cedric and Mellon to celebrate their victory.

* * *

"I've never been to Goldenrod City!" Adeline marveled over the endless buildings and overwhelming atmosphere. "Come on!" She ran ahead. "Let's go shopping!" She stopped and looked around. "Um… Where's the Pokémall?" Cedric check his Pokégear.

"It's on the other side of the city. We'll have to take a trolley there." Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of a huge building. Adeline looked like she was about to cry.

"Three stories and 65,000 square feet of pure bliss." She sighed in awe. "Let's go!" They spent hours shopping, trying on clothes, playing games, and eating delicious delicacies. They went to item store to find some cheap held items. Adeline bought a Soothe Bell and Cedric, after an internal debate between a Mystic Water, a Rocky Helmet, and an Evoilite, he chose the Evolite. They went up to a booth selling exotic eggs from other regions.

"Sorry kids, only certified Pokémon Trainers are licensed to carry Pokémon eggs, but I do have something I can sell you." The Vendor plopped an egg on the table.

"This is a Lucky Egg! It's a held item from the pocket of a Chansey! It helps your Pokémon, when you get one, to grow quicker!" Adeline and Cedric exchanged glances.

"We'll take it." The two had a cart for each of them. One was for Adeline's clothes and the other was 50% Adeline's clothes and 50% other items. Cedric bought pretzels for both of them. They sat at a bench and chatted and laughed. Passerby's snuck glances at them, some envious others with adoration because as they ate, their hands touched unknowingly.

"How's this one?" Adeline asked, while she did a 180.

"It's _way_ too punk for you." Cedric informed her. She looked down at herself.

"I guess…" She sighed. "I really like these pants too…" She mumbled. Cedric leaned back.

"Don't you have enough clothes already?" Adeline stood with a hand on her hip and pointed finger at Cedric.

"Lesson number one of shopping: You can never have enough clothes." Then she smiled and grabbed Cedric by his shirt. "Come on! Let's find you something to try on!" Cedric looked at himself in the mirror. He had on a purple and red plaid shirt over a white t-shirt, black jeans and belt, hiking boots, and a black beanie.

"Huh. I like it!" He said. "But I can't afford this!" Adeline grinned mischievously.

"Lesson number two: Nothing is unaffordable." After a long-winded conversation with the manager, Adeline bargained the outfit down 50% of the price.


	5. Notification

Hello everyone. To those of you who followed or are following my story, you guys are probably really ticked off at me. I am a world-class procrastinator and I wish I was motivated to write more. I would post this in the notes or comments or whatever other writers use on this site, but I don't... really... know how to do that. So anyway, I'd like to thank all of you for reading my story and giving me feedback! That reeeaaallly means a lot! And I'd also like to thank Seje For Days for being the first to review Pokémon ABC! Thanks for your feedback! Seeing his review and the favorites makes me very much want to write again! My classes have ended for the Summer and I want to pick up my pen, or rather computer, and continue Pokémon ABC. I hope I can concentrate long enough to get at least a chapter a week done, if I don't get distracted by Tumblr and my 3DS...

Okay! So hopefully new chapters every week! I will post all the chapters I have currently (which is a considerable amount). Once again thank you all and I look forward to your feedback!


	6. Chapter 5

Cedric was fourteen now. The plane that took Adeline, Cedric, and Mellon to Kalos touched down in Cyllage City hours ago. They were now on a train, heading towards Laverre City, where Adeline's parents were waiting for them. When Cedric emerged through the gate to Laverre City, he was awed by the beauty of the maple trees and old looking buildings.

"Whoa!" Towering above all the other buildings was a huge tree. It almost seemed like it was fused with clockwork mechanics. A structure created in unison with nature.

"That's the Gym." All Cedric could do is marvel for he was speechless.

"This is amazing." Adeline smiled at him. He was wearing the outfit she pick out for him: red shirt, black pants, and black beanie. 'It really makes his hair and eyes stand out.' She thought.

"I want to show you my house." She picked up Mellon and left Cedric with all the bags. She ran to a house taller than the others, with some clockwork mechanics in it as well. She waited until Cedric hefted all the bags to the porch with a huff.

"You live here?" Cedric asked.

"No, this is my neighbors' house. Of course it's my house!" The door opened and a tall, burly man stood in the doorway.

"There's my sweetie pie!" He had dark skin and Adeline's piercing golden eyes. His dark hair was pulled in a small ponytail.

"Dad!" She flung herself into his arms, crushing Mellon.

"Uf, you're getting too big for this old man." He let her down and turned to address Cedric. "And this must be that boy I've been hearing so much about." He lumbered over to Cedric, who shrunk down next to the monstrous figure before him. Faster than he could react, Adeline's dad pulled Cedric into a headlock and gave him a mean noogie.

"WAAAAH!" Cedric cried. Adeline's dad held him back and shook his hand, giving Cedric whiplash with the force.

"Nice to meet ya, kid." He gave a deep, rich laugh.

"Nice you meet you too, Sir." Cedric replied shakily.

"Please, call me Adrian."

"Yes Sir." They went inside.

"Hey, Sis." A girl was standing at the bottom of the stairs. She had her father's dark hair. Her skin was lighter than her father's, but darker than Adeline's.

"Sina!" Adeline exclaimed, hugging her.

"Aw, who's this?" Sina poked at Mellon's nose.

"This is Mellon. Our pet and, hopefully one day, Pokémon!" Adeline's sister gawked over Mellon.

"I still can't believe you're waiting until you're 15 to get your License." They chatted about life in Johto and how much they had missed her and how Cedric was doing in school and Adeline's internship. It was only a few hours later that the door opened again.

"Mom!" Adeline rushed to hug her. "Hello my darling!" Said the elegant and petite woman at the door. She had light skin and red hair like Adeline's and blue eyes like Sina's. She looked to Cedric.

"You must be Cedric. I'm Amy! I'm sorry about my tardiness, but I had a meeting. I've heard so many wonderful things about you! I'm so glad you were able to visit us this time!" Cedric smiled.

"Thanks you, Ma'am." They sat and talked over dinner, getting to know each other. Mr. Uleman, Adeline's father, is a Pokémon wildlife preserver. He arranged and built Pokémon habitats for endangered and homeless Pokémon and relocated them if they were in danger. Mrs. Uleman worked as an architect and was working on reconstructing some destroyed cities from 10/12. She even constructed their home as well as the Gym and many other buildings around the city.

"I even am taking a business trip to Johto in the autumn, so I might be able to drop by." Adeline smiled.

"That would be totally cool!" After a week of being in Kalos, Adeline, Cedric, and Sina took a trip to Lumiose City. The city was shaped in a circle and was huge. It made Goldenrod City look like a small town.

* * *

"Hey look, Adeline, a boutique!" Cedric started towards the door, but Adeline grabbed his collar and jerked him back.

"We don't go in there." Cedric looked at Sina questionably.

"The stuff in there is _way_ too expensive." She answered. Cedric turned to Adeline.

"What happened to Lesson two?" Adeline smiled at the personal joke.

"That doesn't apply here." Sina guided them to a building and led them inside. "Sina works here. This is Professor Sycamore's Lab." Cedric's eyes widened.

"Really? Like, the guy who gives out Starter Pokémon?" Adeline nodded.

* * *

They went up an elevator and into an office. The walls were covered with paintings of Audino, Sigilyph, and many other Pokémon.

"Hello? Professor? I've got visitors." A man poked his head from around the corner.

"Hello Sina. And is that Adeline I see?" He had dark, curly purple hair and a shaggy soulpatch. "Welcome! It's been so long since you visited, my dear! Are you here for your Pokémon license?" Adeline shifted.

"No, Professor. I'm just showing my friend, Cedric here, around Lumiose. He's from Johto." Cedric stood up straighter.

"Hello, Professor." Professor Sycamore scanned Cedric up and down.

"Hmm. Interesting." He walked to a desk. "So, you're not here for your Pokémon License?" Adeline frowned.

"No." Sina tapped her foot impatiently.

"She says she wants to wait until she's 15." It was Sycamore's turn to frown.

"I see…" He turned to Cedric. "Do you want your Pokémon License?" Cedric was feeling uncomfortable.

"Uh, no. I mean, Yes. Just… not right now." Professor Sycamore stroked his tiny beard.

"Quite interesting indeed. So you're both waiting until you're 15, correct?" Adeline crossed her arms with impatience.

"Yes. That's what we said." The Professor opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when the elevator opened and a blonde haired young man darted to the Professor.

"There's a robbery going down at the Lumiose Museum." He turned to Sina. "Do you want to…" He glanced at Cedric, "go check it out?" Sina nodded and went into the elevator with him. Cedric turned to Adeline.

"Maybe we should follow…" Adeline interrupted him.

"So, Professor. I was wondering if you could show us the Starter Pokémon you issue to new trainers." The Professor brightened at that.

"Yes! Follow me." He walked around the corner and went to his desk. He brought out a case that was similar to the case Elm had and opened it. "Go on. Open one." Cedric pick one up and tossed it in the air. It flashed and a Pokémon with brown fur and green spines appeared. "That is Chespin, the Grass Starter we give out." He picked up the other two. Moments later, a frog-like Pokémon and a fluffy fox Pokémon appeared. "The Fox Pokémon is Fennekin, a Fire Starter and the Frog Pokémon is Froakie, a Water Starter!" Cedric gawked at the three in fascination. "I want you to pick one." They both stared at Professor Sycamore in shock.

"But we don't have…"

"I know that." He interrupted. "Just pick one. You are going to challange the Johto and Kanto League are you not? So come and challenge the Kalos League afterwards. I'll hold the one you choose until you reclaim it." Adeline spoke up.

"But that could take years…" Professor Sycamore eyed Cedric.

"I don't think so, Adeline. Go on." Adeline looked the Pokémon over. She sighed.

"I guess I always wanted Froakie…" She burst into a smile. "Besides, you could pass up an epic ninja frog Pokémon anyway?" She picked up Froakie and rubbed its head. Cedric looked between Fennekin and Chespin. It was so short notice. Which would be better for the Kalos League? He didn't know a lot about Kalos… 'Let's see. There's a Fairy type… and an Electric and… a Grass?'

"Oh screw it." He picked up Fennekin. "It's just sooo _cute_!" Sycamore smiled.

"Very good. Now are you going to name them?" Cedric wasn't prepared to pick a Starter Pokémon let alone name one.

"Sheik." Adeline said immediately. Cedric turn to her and raised an eyebrow. "What?" She said. "I saw it in a game and I liked it." Cedric sighed. He thought of good names. He picture came into his mind: the beautiful sunlit maple trees when he saw Laverre City for the first time.

"Maple." He said. "Your name will be Maple." He turned to the Professor. "It is a girl, right?" He chuckled.

"Yes, Maple's a female." Cedric smiled with relief. Sina returned shortly after that. He asked what happened at the museum and she said that someone stopped the robbers and dropped the subject.

* * *

Nothing of importance happened until weeks later when a freak storm came to Laverre City and caused a fire at the Pokéball Factory. It was at night and everyone was in bed. It wasn't the thunder that woke Cedric up, but Mellon's quivering body under the covers. He scooped up the Sentret gently and stood up to go downstairs. As he past Sina's room, he heard a thud. Curious and a bit concerned, he knock and opened the door.

The first thing he saw was Sina putting boots on. She was wearing a white cloak and white pants, along with white boots. She also wore a red scarf around her neck. The next thing he noticed was a figure outside her window. It was the same blonde haired man from earlier. He was wearing an outfit matching Sina's, but was wearing a blue scarf and a mask. Sina noticed him and stood up in surprise.

"I heard a noise…" Sina got in Cedric's face.

"If you say a word to anyone about this," she hissed, "I will take that Sentret there and shove it up your ass." Cedric and Mellon stared at Sina in horror. The Sentret made a motion similar to a zipper and locking motion across Cedric's mouth. Sina backed away, clipped a belt with three Pokéballs on it, grabbed a mask off her bed, and walked to the window. "Not a word." She threatened again. With that she leapt out onto the tree where the blonde haired man was and jumped down, out of sight.

* * *

The first thing he did in the morning was tell Adeline what he saw.

"I knew about Her and Dexio's hobbies for a while." Adeline confessed.

"Dexio? The blonde guy?" She nodded.

"They're kind of like vigilantes in Kalos. They go around helping people. They probably stopped that robbery when we were at the Lab." Cedric's mouth was a hard line of thought.

"So they're like superheroes." He concluded. "And you were covering for them?" Adeline hung her head in shame.

"I should have told you. The fact that you told me when I didn't tell you…" She sighed. "You would be a good friend to tell me if I didn't know and I should've been a good friend to tell you…" Cedric put his hand on her shoulder.

"It doesn't really matter. Do your parents know?" Adeline shook her head.

"They'd kill her if they found out." She laughed. "She and Dexio helped the Champion defeat Team Flare, you know." Cedric started.

"So she knows the Champion personally?" She nodded.

"They even keep up contact. She probably wouldn't introduce you, so don't ask."

* * *

After that, Cedric hung out with Sina a lot. She even let him and Adeline tag along of one of her and Dexio's "missions". They were apparently issued by Professor Sycamore and were mostly robberies and gang busting, but some were top secret covert missions they weren't allowed to speak of. Cedric had so much fun in Kalos. He spent the months exploring, studying the new Pokémon, having fun with Adeline, Sina, and Dexio, and playing with his new Fennekin. The last day before they left for Johto, they were eating lunch at a café in Lumiose.

"So the next time I see you, you'll be the Johto Champion!" Dexio held out his hand. Cedric took it.

"Thanks, Dexio, but I'll be content with finishing the Pokémon League." Sina clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe when you two become powerful trainers we can team up and kick some ass together!" Adeline laughed nervously.

"You betcha!"

* * *

Adeline said goodbye to her family.

"It was so nice to get to know you, Cedric." Mrs. Uleman said.

"Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure!" He shook Mr. Uleman's hand, who gave him another predicted noogie.

"Be good to my daughter, boy." He said. As they walked to their plane, Amy Uleman said to Adrian Uleman,

"You know, with all the things Adeline said about him, I was expecting someone taller and more handsome." Adrian smiled.

"That boy's got potential, though. Adeline will sort him out."


	7. Chapter 6

Cedric sat down at the table with his mother.

"Mom…" Cedric started. "I never really apologized for the way I acted the day of the accident." His mother took his hand gratefully. "I just want to say that I'm sorry and the past few years have been some of the best. I've learned so much and I feel so much more prepared for this journey." A tear of relief streaked down his mother's face.

"Thank you, Cedric. I have been waiting for so long to hear you say that… I was afraid you'd be mad at me for so long." They smiled at each other and Cindy Waldron leaned over and kissed Cedric on his forehead.

* * *

Adeline sat on top of a picnic blanket with Cedric. It was nighttime and they were watching some sappy romance movie on the back of Cedric's house. The popcorn was finished and they were sitting close, their hands touching knowingly. It was close to midnight and they both were sleepy. After a few minutes of watching the movie, Adeline felt something press against her leg. She looked down and saw Cedric's head laying in her lap. She stroked the hair of his sleeping form. After a more few minutes, an alarm went off. Cedric stirred, sat up, and shut the alarm off. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to Adeline's cheek.

"Happy Birthday." He whispered.

* * *

Mellon bounced up and down in celebration. She felt much stronger than before. She had learned Quick Attack and Fury Swipes too. Cedric and Mellon battled every once and a while and she was growing quickly. Probably thanks to Cedric and Adeline's gift of a Lucky Egg. She loved it. Not as much as she loved her ball of course. She would carry the egg everywhere, pretending it was her own. She curled around it when she slept and protected it from other Pokémon. The familiar smells of Route 29 was so much different from the scents of Kalos. The smells there were sweater and soothing, but Mellon preferred the smells of her home: the fresh smell of new beginnings.

The sky was darkening, making the thin scythe of light in the sky brighten. It was Adeline's turn to sleep with her tonight, so she trotted to the small house in New Bark Town. That night, however, she had a terrible nightmare. In it, was a Pokémon that seemed to be the being of nightmare itself. It came from the dark side of the moon and assured Mellon that it was only there to guide her. It lead her through a portal of darkness. When they were through it spoke.

'You, Mellon, and your human friends will go on an epic quest soon. You will encounter many dangerous people and Pokémon and go through many hard times and challenges. I have come to warn you, Sentret of the plains. For a great darkness is looming, threatening the land and the life it holds. You must protect your human friends, for they will be the key to our salvation or our destruction. Do not fret, young one, The Messengers will guide you on your path for peace, but tread carefully. If the Blessed Ones, Cedric and Adeline, fall to darkness all will be lost.'


	8. Chapter 7

A Caterpie wriggled out of the grass. Adeline began to draw like the wind, capturing the likeness of the Caterpie in a matter of seconds. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose in concentration. She sketched the details quickly as well before it scurried away. She then spend a few minutes hardening the lines and drawing in a few minor and memorized details. The finish Caterpie drawing was like a moment captured on paper. She smiled at Cedric, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"It's beautiful." Cedric said. "Your drawing." Adeline smile widened.

"Thanks." Cedric's 15th birthday was a week away.

"You should go." Adeline said. "You don't want to miss your graduation."

* * *

"Cedric Waldron is a remarkable student." Dr. Montgomery's voice filled the clearing in front of the school Cedric attended in Violet City. "His academic achievements have far exceeded the expectations of our school, as well as the top of his class. So it is my honour to present Mr. Waldron with his Certificate of Graduation." He offered a rolled-up piece of paper and his hand. Cedric shook it and took the certificate.

"Mr. Waldron now holds the title of 'Pokemon Connoisseur!' Polite applause filled the air. Cedric's mother and Adeline were grinning as the clapped. Then, Montgomery made a big speech about how Cedric was a smart, hard-working young man that everyone loved. How he excelled at everything he put his mind to. Blah blah blah. Having the title of "Pokemon Connoisseur allowed Cedric to be eligible to teach, judge battles, become a Pokémon breeder, maybe one day become a Gym Leader, etc. The whole ceremony felt awkward for him, having the whole town be there. Mrs. Vancouver, Beck's mom, even came up to give Cedric her congratulations. "Beck sent me this." She held out a package. "He said it's for your birthday." Cedric was surprised to get something from Beck, but he opened it. It was a brand new Pokégear. It was half red, half white. It had a flip screen and a built-in Holocaster. "How… how did Beck afford this?" Mrs. Vancouver winked at him. "He's earning quite a bit of money. He sends me part of his winnings and I've got to tell you, I'm loving the extra cash! We were able to redo that bathroom like we wanted. It's so nice!" Cedric and Mrs. Vancouver caught up with each other. Beck had challenged the Elite Four, but lost. "So he got a job that is training his Pokémon at the same time!" Mrs. Vancouver said. "He's going to train until he's ready to challenge them again, then he said he'll go on to the Kanto League!" Cedric felt a twitch of sadness. Did he even miss Cedric? Why would he with all his success. "That sounds great, Mrs. Vancouver." Cedric said with a forced wane smile.

* * *

It was Cedric's 15th birthday. He got lots of cards from people around town, saying things like "Good luck on your journey." And "Best wishes to you." He also got many gifts. Most were items that would help him on his journey. It seemed that over the years, he had grown quite popular in the small town of Cherrygrove. His mom gave him a sturdy bag to put all his items and clothes in.

"I know it looks small," she said, "but trust me. It's bigger on the inside." Adeline presented Cedric with a small package. He opened it and, laying inside, was a charm with two chains attracted. It was a small, golden pair of wings shaped like a heart and, around it, was a silver tendril.

"It's a friendship necklace." Adeline said, picking up the charm. "This middle piece…" She popped it out of the silver tendril. "Comes off." She offered her hand. Cedric picked up the silver trinket and examined it.

"Adeline…" It was a gift that spoke deeper than words. He knew Adeline would be there for him in the hard times during their journey. "Thank you." He said with a wide smile.

"So which one do you want?" Cedric asked.

"Cedric." His mom called. "Professor Elm's at the door."


	9. Chapter 8

Cedric sat at the kitchen table, staring at a familiar box on the metal surface. It was time. It was his time. He gulped as the Professor opened the box. Inside were three Pokeballs. He and Adeline had already discussed their choices to each other. They both didn't want to copy Beck and choose Totodile. Cyndaquil was the obvious choice. Its final evolution was powerful. It would be able to handle the first two gyms with no problem. But when it came down to it, Cedric wasn't so sure he wanted Cyndaquil. He looked to Adeline, who nodded in encouragement. He realized there was an awkward silent tension in the room. He sighed and smiled with relief. He was picking his Pokemon surrounded by his friends and family. He picked up a ball. He knew it wasn't the strongest. It didn't have the best resistance to other Pokemon types, but it was the one he wanted.

"Come on out… Chikorita!" He explained as he tossed the ball into the air, almost hitting the light fixture above him. There was a bright flash and a pale green Pokemon was looking up at him from the floor. He smiled from ear to ear as he looked into his Pokemon's russet eyes.

"Chikor…?" came a small voice. Another flash and a Cyndaquil appeared next to Cedric's Chikorita. Adeline had chosen Cyndaquil, as Cedric knew she would. They both picked up their newly acquired Pokemon to examine them. Cedric still had a hard time determining the gender of Pokemon, so when Adeline concluded her Cyndaquil was male, Cedric gave his Chikorita over.

"This Chikorita is a girl." Adeline said.

"Huh. What are the chances of getting two female starters? Like 6%? That would take at least 30 times turning the game on and off before that happened!"

Cedric's mom and Professor Elm didn't get the joke.

"Alright!" Professor Elm stood up. "Here are your licenses, five Pokeballs, a Pokedex, and a map of Johto!" They stuffed the stuff in their bags. "and for you, Adeline, a little going away gift for all your dedicated work at the lab." Adeline took the box and opened it. It was a used Pokegear; at least three years outdated.

"Um… Thanks, Professor." She examined it. "Why does it say 'Smell you later' on the back?"

"That's because it was used by a former Champion of Kanto."

"Whoa! Really! Professor, I don't know what to say!"

Cedric and Adeline packed clothes, supplies, and tools into the bags. They were going to leave following morning.

"So what are you going to name your Cyndaquil?" Cedric asked. They had consulted the whiteboard months ago, but is still was difficult to choose just one.

"I'm thinking of going with Hickory." Adeline said, looking up from her packing. "Either that or Flair."

Cedric nodded in approval. "I want to name her Dapple, but it doesn't seem… fitting."

"How 'bout Farore?"

"Adeline, stop trying to name things after Zelda."

"Whatever."

"Fleck."

"What?"

"How about Fleck."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"She's your Chikorita."

"Alright. Fleck and Hickory it is."


	10. Chapter 9

OKAY! I'm going to try to update on Mondays and Fridays! Let's see how this works out.

* * *

Cedric and Adeline set off on their journey after a good night's rest. After a heartfelt goodbye from Cedric's mother, the two and their Sentret trotted through town, waving goodbye at all the people who saw them off. At the edge of town, Cedric suddenly stopped.

"Omigosh! We almost forgot!" Adeline raised an eyebrow in question. Cedric fished a Pokeball out of his pack. Adeline saw what he was doing. They both knelt in front of Mellon, who cocked her head at the sight of the Pokeball.

"Hey, Mellon!" Cedric started. "Now that we're official trainers now, how would you like to be our official Pokemon?"

Mellon stared at the ball in Cedric's hand. She knew what it was. She knew what they were asking. They were asking to give up her freedom. Up until this point, everything was unofficial. She could go wherever she wanted whenever she wanted. She could still decline. She could leave these humans and roam and be free. But… she loved these humans. She was lucky to have them. If it weren't for them… Well, she would probably be food for a predator or some other human. She recalled the warning she received from the Dark One. She had to protect her humans with her life. In the end, the Sentret didn't know why she hesitated like she did. She knew what her duty was to herself, her friends, and to the rest of the world. She limped forward and touched her nose to the Pokeball's center and her vision became red as she was transformed into data.

* * *

Mellon was terrified. Her heart was pounding, but wait… She started to panic. She couldn't feel her body. Her mind reeled as her consciousness drifted through blackness. She didn't want to be in this living nightmare. She let out a terrified shrill that only existed in her mind. Out of nowhere, she saw a little red light, blinking, blinking. She focused on it, easing her fright slightly. The red light converted into a series of digits. Mellon spent enough time with Adeline and Cedric to determine the symbols from others. The text appeared as:

POKEMON_I . D ._N O . 03175

CEDRICE_WALDRON

TARGET_SENTRET_161

UPLOADING_CONSCIOUSNESS

The words faded and faint blue orbs drifted through the blackness, shifting from blue to violet to white, then back to blue. Mellon gazed at the orbs with fascination. Her panic had melted away. New symbols appeared that read:

UPLOAD_COMPLETE

SIMULATION_ INITIATED

A bright flash blinded Mellon momentarily. The first thing she felt was the wind on her fur, then the smell of fresh flowers and rain filled the air. When the light faded, she was standing in a field of pink and white flowers. Mellon, confused and filled with awe, was stunned. It was then that she realized she had her body back. She sprang and ran through the plain joyfully, surprisingly fast for a Sentret with three legs. She spotted a hill off in the distance. She ran to it as quick as she could, getting there in seconds. The top of the hill turned out to be a cliff that overlooked a small lake. She sat down, soaking in the view. Suddenly, the sun turned blue and the blue orbs from earlier started drifting through Mellon's vision once again. She barely had time to comprehend what had just happened when she was pulled from the earth in a rush, blue orbs streaking across her vision until she was enveloped in a bright light.

* * *

"It's a good thing she went in there." Adeline said to Cedric. "It would be terrible if we were on our journey and someone else captured Mellon." Cedric nodded in agreement as he released Mellon.

She appeared in a bright light.

"See!" Cedric said. "That wasn't so bad." Mellon spun in circles, looking confused. Cedric went to pet her, but she jumped back startled.

"Hey! It's okay!" Adeline cooed. She gently stroked the Sentret's fur. When Mellon calmed down Adeline picked her up and started walking.

"Come on! We want to get to Violet City as quickly as possible, right?" Cedric and Adeline walked along the path to Violet City.

"So would Mellon be considered your Pokemon because you caught her?" Adeline said.

"I didn't really consider that."

Adeline sighed. "You think for someone who went to school for three years, you would think ahead before you act."

Cedric huffed. "Well, why don't we just keep five Pokemon on each of us and then share Mellon?" Adeline seemed to like that suggestion.

They two stopped at the edge of the tall grass.

"Thank goodness we don't have to use repels anymore!" Cedric exclaimed. "Let's try to find some Pokemon." They searched until they found a Weedle.

"Mellon! Go get it!" Adeline ordered. Mellon jumped out of her arms and positioned herself in front of the Weedle. "Go! Use Fury Swipes!" Sentret lunged forward and slashed the Weedle three times with her one paw. The Weedle cried out. It shot a strand of sticky string at Sentret, tangling her paws.

"Hold on, Mellon!" Adeline cried as she pulled out a Pokeball. She threw it at the Weedle, hitting it. The Weedle disappeared into the ball. After wiggling a few times, the ball stopped moving. The Weedle was caught!

"Yes!" Adeline cheered. She picked up the Pokeball and tucked it into her bag.

"Nice catch!" Cedric said, walking over to Mellon. He untangled the Sentret's paws and gave her a pat on the head.

"Good job, Mellon!" Mellon seemed delighted by his praise.

"Your turn now!" Adeline said teasingly to Cedric.

After catching a Pidgey, they continued along the path. Mellon had suffered damage from a Gust and was being carried by Adeline again.

"HEY YOU!" The voice came from the woods. Cedric looked around for the source.

"YEAH YOU!" A figure emerged from the trees. It was a 12 year old kid who looked like he just got his license. Probably from Violet.

"How can you wear pants!? It's soooo hot out!" The kid wailed. Cedric didn't really think much about the weather.

"What?"

"Do you wanna see my Rattata?"

"Uh, no."

"Go, Rattata!"

"Okay, but I don't want to-"

"You wanna fight?"

"No, I just want to-"

"I LIKE SHORT 'CAUSE THEY'RE COMFY AND EASY TO WEAR!"

"Wait, what?"

*cue battle music*

"Fine. Whatever." Cedric seeing how Mellon was hurt, he sent out his Chikorita.

"Go, Fleck!" Fleck appeared with a battle cry and a flash of light.

"Rattata! Use… HYPERBEEEEAAAAMMM!" The Youngster screamed.

"Just stop." Said Cedric with annoyance.

Adeline and Mellon watched in confusion.

"Nah, just kidding. Rattata, use Quick Attack!" The Rattata dashed at Fleck at blurring speed. Fleck took a step to dodge, but was swept off her feet by the Rattata.

"Shake it off, Fleck and use Growl!" After several growls, Fleck was still on her feet, but weak. When the next attack came, Fleck was barely hurt any more than she already was.

"Okay, Fleck, now Tackle it!" Fleck launched herself at the intimidated Rattata, Tackling it to the ground. The Chikorita then kicked the Rattata in the face as she jumped off it. Rattata scrambled to its feet and Tackled Fleck in retaliation.

'Fleck's getting pretty beat up out there…' Cedric thought. 'Maybe I should send out Pidgey.'

"Alright, Fleck, I need you to come ba-" Cedric stopped short when the Chikorita whipped around and glared at Cedric.

"Okay then." Cedric said in a small voice. "Uh, then use Tackle again!" Fleck gave a slight nod of approval, then charged full force at the Rattata. She slammed into it, sending it flying into a gaping Youngster's chest.

"Nice Critical Hit!" Adeline cheered.

"W-wow! You sure are something!" The Youngster said as he sat up in a daze. "My Rattata's top-notch and you just beat him!" He stood up, recalled Rattata, and extended his hand.

"I'm Joey, by the way." Cedric shook it.

"Nice battle." Cedric said politely. Joey was shaking Cedric's hand excessively.

"I can tell you're going places." Joey started. "Are you going to Violet City to challenge the Gym?"

"Yeah. I just started my journey with my friend, Adeline."

Joey squinted as he looked from Adeline to Cedric. "Hey… Didn't you just graduate from the Pokemon School?" Cedric nodded.

"I knew I recognized you! Hey! Can I call you if I ever get into a jam or need some advice or something?" Cedric looked at Joey questionably.

"You do have a PokeGear, right?"

"Oh, right!" Cedric pulled the PokeGear out of his pocket.

* * *

After the exchange, Cedric and Adeline said their goodbyes to Joey and headed to Route 31 and Violet City.


	11. Chapter 10

So sorry for being late. This week has been crazy preparing for graduation, I didn't have a lot of time to write.

This one is soooooooooooo long! Sorry if this is bad...

* * *

Mellon was back in the field of flowers. Cedric had put her back in the Pokeball when they arrived at the Violet City Pokemon Center. The orbs appeared to her, but this time they were shifting from pink to red-violet. One floated up to her and Mellon leaned in to sniff it. The orb suddenly shocked her. Mellon jumped back, surprised. The orbs all started to close in on Mellon, sending arcs of electricity into her. Mellon let out a terrified wail, but the pain she expected didn't come. Instead, she was filled with warmth like she had been laying out in the sunlight. It soothed her and she laid down in the grass and fell asleep.

* * *

After the nurse healed Mellon and the rest of their Pokemon, Cedric and Adeline went straight to the Violet City Gym.

"I've been waiting for so long to get here." Cedric told Adeline. "Every time I would come here for classes, I would watch the Pokemon Trainers who challenged Leader Falkner battle. He has a lot of powerful Pokemon." He turned to Adeline. "But since we've just started, he has to use a set of specific Pokemon to battle us."

They pushed open the doors. The building was huge. Adeline looked around, taking in the high ceiling, the numerous statues depicting different bird Pokemon, and the spiral staircase that climbed up to the rafters.

"Hey, Champ!" Adeline jumped at the sound of the loud voice.

"Hey, Gai!" Cedric said as he went over to a grinning middle aged man and fist bumped him.  
"Adeline, this is Jim Gai!" Jim Gai held out his hand.

"Nice to meet ya!" He said with a toothy grin.

"Jim… Gai?" Adeline repeated, looking to Cedric with doubt.

"You can just call me Gai." Gai laughed. "I've been keeping an eye on this lad since I saw him battle at the Academy!" He winked at Adeline, "He's a real champ in the making!"

"So I've heard…" Adeline mused.

"So you're here to Challenge Falkner, am I right?" Gai bellowed.

"That's right!" Cedric said. "and claim the first of eight badges, the Zephyr Badge!"

"Well, be careful with that Chikorita of yours. You don't want to be defeated too easily."  
Cedric smiled, "Don't worry about me, Gai."

Adeline and Cedric climbed the stairs up to the rafters. They wondered around the rafter-like maze, battling every trainer they came across. Cedric, knowing his Chikorita's disadvantage, did his best to level up his Pidgey. He estimated that Fleck was level seven and Pidgey was level eight.

They stopped when they came to a fork in the path.

"Okay." Adeline started. "I'll go right and you go left. Whoever gets to Falkner first gets to battle him." Cedric agreed.

"You go with Adeline, okay?" Cedric addressed Mellon, who nodded in understanding. They went their separate ways after a "be careful" and a "good luck".

* * *

Cedric continued to wander across the rafters, going up and down, retracing steps, and battling trainers. He had just restored Pidgey's health when he looked ahead. The path he was heading led to a column rising from the floor far below. He could see stairs going up inside the column. He grinned knowing he had gone the correct way and ran towards it, careful not to lose his balance.

He emerged from the top of the column and gasped at the view. The stair had led him to a room at the top of the Gym, which had a wrap-around window that displayed the city below. Entranced, he peered through the glass and stared at the small figures busily walking on the ground.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cedric jumped back in surprise. He failed to notice a man standing at the far side of the room. He was about six foot tall, had blue hair pulled back in a bun, and a scruffy beard that made him look both serious and mischievous.

"Falkner?" Cedric asked, trying to ignore the knot in his stomach.

The Gym Leader nodded. "That's right. Tell me, are you here to challenge me?"

Cedric walked towards Falkner. "You bet I am."

Falkner chuckled. "and how many badges do you currently have?"

"Uh, you're my first Leader I've challenged." Falkner nodded in approval.

"A first-timer, huh? Well, I love showing new trainers what the Pokemon League is all about." He walked to a section of the wall and opened it up, revealing a plethora of Pokeballs. He carefully selected two from the shelf. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" He asked. "How about we enjoy it?" He tapped a button on a control panel and the sound of machines whirring filled the air. The roof retracted and the windows opened up, leaving the room exposed to the environment outside.

"Shall we get started?" Falkner asked.

"Let's go." Cedric nervously replied.

* * *

Adeline decided her path was not the correct way. She had been sure she was going around in circles and she was getting tired.  
"Always go left." She complained to herself. She sighed, looking down at Mellon. "How are you able to walk this much on only three legs?" The Sentret didn't have a problem with all the walking at all. She chattered as Adeline scooped Mellon up in her arms. "Let's just go back where we last saw Cedric."

As Adeline walked, she heard a commotion below her, but didn't think anything of it. She continued until she got back to the fork where she had left Cedric.

"Okay. Left." She sighed as she walked down the correct path to the left.

As she walked, Adeline hummed her the Ballad of the Goddess from Skyward Sword. It wasn't long before she realized Mellon had fallen asleep in her arms. Adeline continued to hum with a smile on her face as she was overwhelmed by the cuteness of the Sentret in her arms. She noticed that the path led to one of the columns that rose from the floor. She looked closer. It had stairs in it! She walked a little faster, wanting to see Cedric's battle against the Gym Leader.

"HEY!" Adeline jumped two feet in the air. Mellon jumped four feet in the air, almost falling off the beam they were on. Adeline turned on the owner of the voice, a young bird keeper about the same age as her.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?" She yelled. "MELLON ALMOST FELL OFF!?" The bird keeper's face turn almost as red as his hair.

"Sorry! I just wanted to battle you!" He paused. "Um… Who's Mellon?"

Adeline let out an exasperated sigh. "My Sentret."

"Oh. He's cute!"

"She."

"**_She_**'s cute….. Is she missing a leg?"

"Let's just battle."

Adeline turned to Mellon. "Wreck him." Mellon nodded in agreement.

"I'm Abe, by the way."

"Just send out your Pokemon."

Abe sent out a Spearow. "Ladies first."

Adeline twitched in annoyance. "Mellon, Quick Attack."

Mellon zipped over to the Spearow in the blink of an eye, knocking it off the beam. The Spearow recovered from its surprise and flew up to Mellon and, on the command of Abe, Pecked her. Mellon Scratched the Spearow, tearing a few feathers off.

"Spearow! Fury Attack!" The Spearow rushed at Mellon, hitting her as it flew past. It hit five times. Adeline ordered Mellon to use Fury Swipes and Mellon slashed the Spearow twice before the Spearow flew away. Abe commanded the Spearow to use Fury Attack again and the Spearow hit Mellon another five times.

"Oh Come on!" Adeline complained. Mellon was getting pretty hurt. She had tufts of fur missing and cut that had started to bleed. The Spearow was looking pretty rough as well. Adeline noticed that it was struggling to stay in the air. Adeline decided to take a risk.

"Okay, Mellon. As soon as it lands I want you to hit it with a Quick Attack." Mellon nodded with renewed determination and crouched, waiting for her prey to land. Mellon dashed at the Spearow as it touched the wooden surface. The impact knocked the Spearow into the wall and onto a platform below. Abe recalled his Spearow as Adeline and Mellon celebrated.

"You did it, Mellon! You beat them! She picked Mellon up and danced around joyfully.

A blinding light made Adeline drop Mellon. Adeline gasped at what was happening. "No way!" Mellon was evolving!

* * *

Mellon felt strange, but in a good way. She felt like she was growing stronger. Her victory made her feel so good and proud. As the light danced before her eyes she felt herself changing. She felt more balanced. She could feel her body strengthening and her bones reconfiguring. The change was painless, but gave an uncomfortable feeling. Like one being suspended in the air and being jerked in all directions, then being softly let down as you regain your balance. As the light faded, Mellon felt different. She felt like she could run faster and jump higher. She felt like she could protect the ones she loves no matter the cost. She was no longer Mellon the Sentret. She was Mellon the…

* * *

"Furret!" Where the Sentret had been sat a furry creature with a long fluffy tail, small brown ears, and three paws.

"Mellon, congratulations!" Adeline joyfully exclaimed. "You're a Furret now!" She scooped Mellon up and hugged her as Mellon chirped in protest.

"Let's go show Cedric!" Without even saying goodbye to Abe, she took off to the Battle Stadium.

* * *

"Go, Pidgeotto!" Falkner cried. He had sent out a Pidgey first, which Cedric's Chikorita took care of easily. The Pidgey didn't even use any Flying Type attacks!

"Return, Fleck!" Cedric called to Fleck and the Chikorita scurried back to Cedric's side. She was pretty beat up, but she looked like she could battle again if it came to it. Cedric's Pidgey appeared in a burst of light.

The Pidgeotto rushed at Pidgey with a Tackle, knocking Pidgey momentarily to the floor.

"Pidgey! Use Sand Attack!" Cedric yelled over the wind. Pidgey flapped its wings, blowing dust at Pidgeotto. It had no effect. "Shit, I forgot. Stupid Pidgeotto and its Keen Eye."  
Falkner called to use Tackle again, but Pidgey managed to get out of the way and retaliate with its own Tackle. A Gust and a Tackle later brought Pidgey down.

'No! All I have now is a weakened Chikorita and his Pidgeotto seems like it could keep going forever…' He glanced doubtfully at Fleck. 'I could always forfeit and come back later…' Cedric frowned. He remembered Beck's battle on TV. 'No! Don't lose hope. Beck didn't lose hope so I can't either.' He knelt down next to Fleck.

"Hey." He began. "This is going to be tough, okay. He's going to try to hit you with his Gust, so I need you to do your best to dodge them. You ready." Fleck had a determined look on her face. "Okay, Fleck. Time to shine!" Fleck sprang back onto the battle field.

"Use Tackle!" The Chikorita hurled herself towards the Pidgeotto.

"Gust!" Falkner ordered. As Pidgotto flapped its wings to kick up a Gust of wind, Fleck flung herself underneath the bird, dodging the attack. She sprang into the air and hit Pidgeotto.

"Yes! Now use Razor Leaf!" Fleck followed up her Tackle by launching several razor-sharp leaves at the Pidgeotto. The leaves sliced through the air and stuck in the bird's wings. The Pidgeotto let out a cry and was forced to land.

"Alright, Fleck!" Cedric cheered, but their celebration was cut short. The Pidgeotto shook off the leaves and took off again, hurling a Gust towards Fleck. The Chikorita was swept off her feet and landed heavily of the floor.

"Oh no, Fleck!" Fleck was almost done for. Cedric knew she couldn't keep up with the attacks. He was going to lose. 'But I still can't give up.' Using a close range attack live Tackle again would be a risk, but it was the most efficient attack. 'But I don't want to risk getting Fleck out.'

"Fleck, use Razor Leaf again!" Using a special attack would be safer. Fleck launched another series of razor-sharp leaves at Pidgeotto… only to have them blow away harmlessly by the cold wind. Cedric groaned. Pidgeotto used Gust again, which Fleck barely dodged. One of her legs gave out and Fleck flopped on the ground. 'This is it.' Cedric thought. 'Fleck's going to be defeated. I can't let her get hurt anymore.' Cedric opened his mouth to surrender.

"WAIT!" Cedric turned around in surprise. It was Adeline. She was panting at the top of the stairs. She was carrying… "What?!" Cedric exclaimed as he spotted the Furret in Adeline's arms. "Nooooooooooooooooooo! I missed it!" Mellon, who was now a Furret, hopped down from Adeline's arm and scampered in front of Pidgeotto. She wanted to face it in battle. Cedric understood.

"Mr. Falkner, this Sent- I mean, Furret is my Pokemon too!" Falkner eyed the Furret. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh… I'll allow it." Cedric breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Adeline and mouthed, "Thank you!" She gave him a thumbs up.

"Fleck, return!" Fleck pulled herself up and walked over to Cedric, then plopped down again.

"Let's continue." Falkner said. "Pidgeotto, use Gust." Mellon stood her ground as the high winds from the Gust dragged at her. She slid a little as the wind pushed her.

"Quick Attack!" Cedric called. Mellon gained momentum and ran out of the Gust and into Pidgeotto. The Bird Pokemon fell to the ground and Mellon instinctively Scratched it. The Pidgeotto stumbled and Cedric ordered Mellon to Scratch it again. With that, the Pidgeotto collapsed to the floor, defeated.  
"We did it!" Cedric exclaimed to Fleck. "You guys did it!"

* * *

"And this is the TM Roost, it can restore a Pokemon's health." Cedric tucked the TM along with his shiny new Zephyr Badge into his pack. "Thank you so much!"

Falkner closed the room back up as Cedric gave Mellon a look over. "I still can't believe I missed her evolution. That's like missing the birth of your baby!"

Adeline rolled her eyes. "So, Leader Falkner, I would like to challenge you also."

Falkner smiled at the challenge. "Well, let me go heal up my Pokemon and…"

A man in a suit had entered the room. "Well it's about time you finished." He complained.

"Not you again!" Falkner growled. "I don't care what you offer, I'm not selling my Gym!" The man frowned.

"Well my client has a new proposal for you." Falkner held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear it." The man's face turned red.

"My client just wants to make an addition to your building."

"I WON'T have my father's gym be defaced! Can't you use another building?!"

"We can't because this is-"

"I know. I know, 'because it's the highest point on this side on Johto.' Well you can take your proposal and shove it up your client's arse! Now stop pestering me!"

Now the man looked like he burst a vein. "You're going to regret this." With that he stormed away.

Falkner sighed. "Sorry, kids. That man's been bothering me recently. First he wanted me to sell my gym and now he wants to build on it?!" He shook his head. "I don't understand why it's so important, but I won't have it." Cedric stared at the spot the man disappeared. Something wasn't right about all this…

"I'm going to go… Okay?" Cedric said to Adeline.

"Alright." She turned to Falkner. "When can I battle you?"

"If you stay right here, I can be back in a minute or two." Falkner said as he walked away.

"Do you need Mellon?" Cedric asked.

"Nah, I think I'll be okay."

"Okay. See you later." With that, Cedric and Mellon ran down the stairs.

* * *

Cedric emerged from the gym. He briefly said hello to Gai before running past him. 'I hope I didn't hurt his feelings.' He thought as he searched the crowds for the man. He could practically see the waves of anger flooding off him when Cedric spotted him heading out of the city. He followed him to Route 31, but lost sight of him when he stepped out of the city limits.

* * *

Mellon froze. She couldn't stop staring at the entrance to a nearby cave. Her vision tunneled until it was all black. When her vision cleared, she was walking with Cedric to the entrance. They peered into the darkness. Cedric said something to Mellon before entering the cave. Mellon followed. It was so dark, Mellon could barely see ten feet in front of her. It smelled of mildew and the sound of water trickling on the rocks. She realized she heard footsteps as well. She saw a bright Flash of light deeper within the cave, making the surrounding area seeable. In the dimness of the cave, she noticed a Graveler lumbering towards them. Something was wrong with it. She noticed the light too late. She pulled on Cedric's pants, but in vain. When Cedric noticed the Graveler, the ground already started rumbling and the Graveler Self-Destructed and sent Cedric and Mellon into the blackness and coldness of lifelessness.

* * *

Mellon's vision cleared again. She was standing by the city limits. _'Be alert_.' The wind whispered.

* * *

"Excuse me, sir?" He asked a nearby Hiker. "Have you seen a man in a suit go by just now?"

"Oh yeah, he looked really angry. He went into Dark Cave I think."

"Okay thanks."

Cedric walked up to the cave and peered in. It was pitch black. 'No wonder they call it Dark Cave.'

Mellon scampered up next to him, pawing at his feet. Cedric looked down. "Don't worry! It's safe!" He stepped through the opening. He couldn't see anything. The sound of water running flooded his ears. A bright light filled the cave, leaving the surrounding area in dim light. 'Someone used Flash!' He craned his neck, trying to see who used it. 'I bet it's the man!' His thoughts were interrupted by Mellon pulling on his pants leg. She let out a distressed shrill.

"It's okay. I'm right…" Then he noticed the Graveler. It was lumbering towards them. But… something wasn't right. Its eyes. They were red and widened with madness, its pupils rolled into the back of its head. Cedric scooped up Mellon and ran to the entrance. He was lifted off his feet as the explosion rocked the ground. Cedric landed with an "oof", the wind knock out of his lungs. The rumbling stopped and he looked up. The cave entrance spilled out boulders from the explosion.

"What… Just happened?" He asked to no one in particular.

* * *

Mellon did it. She prevented the events that happened in her vision. The madness she saw in the Graveler disturbed her, as if it was possessed into doing something it didn't want to by some evil force. _'Be wary, Mellon of the Plains.'_ The voice in the wind whispered. _'For this is just a prelude to what is to come.'_

* * *

_If you guys have any questions at all regarding the story, my characters, or myself! Please leave a comment or PM me! I'll answer you if I can. P.S. I might be late Monday because of the whole off schedule thing._


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